The purpose of the partnership described in this Bridges application is to increase the number of minority students who earn an associate degree from Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C) who successfully transfer to four-year institutions. The baccalaureate-granting partners include Case Western Reserve University, Baldwin-Wallace College, Cleveland State University, The University of Akron, and a medical research facility, Cleveland Clinic Foundation. The implementation of a previous (1993) Bridge award to CWRU in which Tri-C was a partner could not be carried out until 1996 due to changes in administration. Tri-C is a three-campus institution in Cleveland that has an enrollment of more than 7,000 under-represented minority students. In 1995-1996, Tri-C awarded 117 Associate of Science degrees. In the Bridge program twenty-five biology, chemistry and psychology students will be selected each year. To facilitate persistence in the program, students will be asked to sign a contract detailing the program's expectations, requirements and benefits. The Bridge program will be organized into a semester-by-semester design. During semester one, students will be assigned to Tri-C faculty, attend weekly meetings that enhance their development, be encouraged to participate in an honors program, and receive counseling and tutoring as needed. In semester two, students will conduct research under mentorship of faculty at the four-year institutions. Research activities will continue through semesters three and four. A poster session and presentations at local and state meetings will mark successful completion of research projects. Transfer agreements with the four year institutions will facilitate a smooth student transfer into the second-level program. Program effectiveness will be assessed by various methods, including standardized tests, evaluations by mentors and students, grade profiles, exit student interviews, and an external evaluator. Of the twenty-one students in the current Bridges program, six transferred to CWRU in the fall of 1997, and fifteen are in the Associate degree program.